Cumberland puppy walks across street, wins Best in Show

CUMBERLAND — Folks came from all over New England and beyond to test their pooches at a dog show held recently at the Cumberland Fairgrounds.

But Pippin, an 8-month-old Samoyed female, just walked over from across the street and grabbed Best Puppy in Show.

Joanne Fryer of Bruce Hill Road, who with husband and fellow attorney Greg Fryer owns Pippin, said she was “just blown away” at the result at the Chickadee Classic Dog Show on June 19-22.

“This is a really big deal,” she said last week, adding that it is rare for a first-timer to win the award.

“The dog has 14 ribbons; Greg and I don’t even know what half of them are for,” Fryer said, laughing.

The event was organized by the Lewiston-Auburn and Penobscot Valley kennel clubs. Pippin, handled by Lisa Green of East Hampton, Mass., competed against dogs in nearly 60 breeds, winning her breed and working group before earning the Best Puppy distinction, Fryer said.

Pippin is the fifth “Sammy” owned by the Fryers, who use the white fluffy dogs to pull them on cross-country skis in the winter sport of skijoring.

“She’s a very smart dog, and I needed to do something with her to keep her busy until she’s 2,” the minimum age for a dog to take part in the sport, Fryer said.

So the couple opted to enter Pippin in the competition, taking her to Jill Simmons, who owns PoeticGold Farm in Falmouth, for handling classes.

“Pippin has been a student there for obedience, since literally she was born,” Fryer said.

Pippin’s full name is “Kismet’s Pippin of Mowfield.” Kismet was Pippin’s great-grandmother, Pippin is a type of seedling apple tree, and Mowfield is the name of the Fryers’ farm, named after one close to where Joanne Fryer grew up in North Carolina.

Pippin, an 8-month-old Samoyed female, won Best Puppy in Show at the Chickadee Classic Dog Show, held over four days at the Cumberland Fairgrounds.

0

A Maine native and Colby College graduate, Alex has been covering coastal communities since 2001, and currently handles Bath, Topsham, Cumberland, and North Yarmouth. He and his wife, Lauren, live in the Portland area, and Alex recently released his third album of original music.